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“Stop!” I yell when I see Lyla go pale.
The room goes silent, and I feel everyone looking at me. I ignore the weight of their stares and I look at Lyla. Her eyes are wide. Her brow is crinkled in confusion.
“Lyla doesn’t need more arguing,” I snap, remembering to take deep breaths to try and control my stutter. It’s usually impossible when there are a lot of eyes on me. I’m kind of proud that I manage it this time.
I watch something flash in her eyes. I wish we were alone. I want time to talk to her. I need to sort through shit in my head and I need time alone with Lyla to manage that.
We stare at each other until a glare from the window distracts me. I look and see a guy standing there in a black hoodie with a gun raised, getting ready to pull the trigger. Fuck.
“Everyone d-d-own!” I scream. I don’t think, I just act. I dive over the table to grab Lyla, who is across from me. I curl mid-air as I hear the bullets shatter the windowpane. I grab her, doing my best to shield her and taking the blunt of the trauma from our fall as we crash to the floor.
I push Lyla’s hair from her face, gripping each side of her face urgently and looking down at her. “You okay?” She nods, her eyes wide with fear. I can’t take it away and I’ve got to keep her safe. Without thinking, I kiss her forehead. Then I all but pull her under the table and help Grunt to tip it over to give us some type of shelter. Grunt, Dad, Ford, and I are scrambling to shoot back and stop whatever in the fuck is going on, but the gunfire stops. I can hear tires squealing.
I stop as we shuffle toward the door and look at Lyla. “I-I’ll be back.”
I don’t know why I stop to tell her that. She probably doesn’t give a damn if I come back. She’s probably hoping whoever that was shooting kills me. For whatever reason, however, I do it. Lyla nods, and I can see the tears in her eyes. I hate them. She’s cried too many tears.
I turn away, feeling like a fucking idiot for hurting her, for making any of the choices that I’ve made.
“You and your father stay with the girls,” Ford says. “Grunt and I have this.”
“No,” I deny, not stopping. “They shot at m-my fam-ily.”
“This is my territory,” Ford insists.
“He’s getting away while you two are having a pissing match,” Grunt growls.
Ford stares at me, but on this, I’m not about to back down—I’m already heading toward the door, my dad right behind me.
“Fine,” he snaps. “Grunt, you stay here and guard the women with your life.”
I’m going to find the asshole who did this and when I do, his life is over.
Chapter 10
Lyla
“Is Daisy okay?” I ask, my heart still beating like crazy in my chest.
“Yeah. Chains is watching her. He’s great with kids. Daisy thinks he is just so cool. Plus, she’s having a ball helping Kayden get ready for the new baby,” Jasmine says, coming back into the room.
She immediately starts to help Grunt put plywood over the window. He found an old piece in Dad’s shed out back. He’s tense and hasn’t said much since the attack. I know he wishes he was out with the others.
Me?
I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’ve never been shot at. Jasmine is being very calm and collected and I think maybe this is probably nothing new to anyone in this entire group except me. Dad always made sure I was protected from the dangerous side of the club. Then there’s Thomas. He dove over the table like a madman and even in the blur of everything that happened, I know that he curled his body around me to protect me from the bullets. Well, it was to protect our child. That means something. I want that kind of man for my child’s father.
Dad has tried to shelter me, but I’ve seen how men are with women. The men of the club who are married or have old ladies don’t truly respect them. Or if they do, it doesn’t keep them from cheating. I think Sledge and his old lady literally hate each other.
Thomas at least told me he couldn’t continue to be with me because it wasn’t fair to me. It was my bad luck to see Gabby that day at the apartment. The minute I saw her I understood why he started talking to me. We can’t truly be a couple. I’ll always be the girl who looks like the woman he really wanted. Maybe we can have some kind of relationship where he can still be close to our child, though.
